Your PUD
News Release
Chelan County PUD takes a look at cost of service
Chelan County PUD
News Release
5/27/2008
Commissioners Tuesday got a preview of preliminary results from a cost-of-services study that they will discuss at a special public meeting at 5:30 p.m. on June 2, at the Confluence Technology Center.
The study shows that almost all Chelan County PUD customers are paying less than it costs to provide the services they receive.
Now commissioners have to decide if they want to close the gap between the costs and the revenues with rate increases, rate design or a combination of both.
Possible rate design changes could come with a shift in tiered rates for electric customers to promote conservation. Commissioners will be asked to decide if a change in policy should impose even higher rates for customers who use large quantities of energy.
Other possible rate changes include removing a minimum fee for electric service, condensing water and sewer rates and shortening the billing season for irrigation customers.
At the June 2 meeting, commissioners will discuss these options, take public comment and give staff direction for future study. Staff hopes to have commission direction by August to allow time to include any changes in the 2009 budget.
Aquifer water temperatures similar to Columbia River
Commissioners Tuesday heard that the temperature of the water flowing through the Eastbank Aquifer (and the Eastbank Hatchery fed by the aquifer) closely follows that of the Columbia River.
The $166,000 study, which was jointly funded by the PUD and the United States Geological Survey, was initiated to model the aquifer and determine if its water is getting warmer over time.
The fresh, cool water used to rear young salmon at the hatchery comes from the Eastbank Aquifer system, which springs from below the Columbia River.
The groundwater also supplies water to the residents of Wenatchee, East Wenatchee and other parts of Chelan and Douglas counties.
During the study, USGS studied all the available wells in the area, measured water levels and temperatures, took water samples, and analyzed 16 years of water-level and temperature data collected by the PUD.
The report is available on the USGS Web site.
In other business, PUD commissioners:
- Wayne Wright, executive manager of District Services, reported to the board that Chelan County PUD was honored at last week’s United Way awards luncheon as the second highest giver for the 2008 campaign, with a total of more than $40,000 pledged by PUD employees. PUD General Manager Rich Riazzi was co-chairman of the United Way campaign.
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The next regular meeting of the PUD commission is at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 2, in the boardroom at PUD headquarters, 327 N. Wenatchee Ave. A special meeting will take place that evening at 5:30 p.m. at the Confluence Technology Center to discuss the PUD’s cost of service study.
Most PUD commission meetings are recorded, and a link to the audio is available on the PUD’s home page at http://www.chelanpud.org/.
Christy Shearer
Communications Audio-visual Specialist
Chelan County PUD
509.661.4258 office
509.421.4258 cell
509.661.8133 fax
christy.shearer@chelanpud.org